While there are of course many long-standing traditional bars with deep roots in older parts of the city — The Saloon in North Beach, Elixir in the Mission, and House of Shields in the Financial, to name a few — San Francisco also offers many establishments that take a more playful approach to their business.

The city is home to theme bars of all kinds, with rooms reminiscent of Prohibition-era speakeasies, tiki huts, libraries, bondage basements, and of course, the barrooms of the Barbary Coast.